Strange colour effect on mugs and garments

[malcycee]

Here we go guys and gals,
My suppliers at The Transfer Press have not heard of this one so lets see what I can glean from your combined experience.
In my intro above I've explained how I do pencil sketches. I now also do sublimation printing on mugs and TShirts - hoping to widen but, hey, I need to start somewhere.
My kit that I use with my laptop consists of
a. Epson 1400 printer and bulk ink system and truepix paper.
b. Sawgrass Artanium software (4450UV+ v2.5 or 1450UV+ v2.5 options seems to make no difference which I select)
c. Photoshop elements 7.
I use a heat press and JML Halogen oven for transfer of images.
The problem? Oh yes, if I take a line drawing I've done in black ink, scan up and 'drop' colour in from the photoshop, it prints no problem other than slight palette differences for which I can compensate particularly on tshirts.
However, if I take one of my pencil sketches or (photos with a grey edge) with a lot of greytone in.......on both shirts and mugs, the greys turn to shades of violet/purple and, the image gets a very pale creamy 'bloom' effect around it!!! My simple black images (not pc inserted text though) also sometimes get a yellowy bloom round them particularly on mugs)My question is...what on earth am I doing wrong, I've re-checked all the settings but, still the same effect, sometimes better than others but, always the same!!!
Please help as my site is about to re-launch and some items have been removed as I can't keep risking wasting imprintables.
Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.

[JSR]

How old is your 1400 printer?

The reason I ask is because, over the last several weeks, I've noticed a yellow "bloom" (or whatever you call it) coming off one side of my prints. This didn't happen before and doesn't happen with either my standby 1290S or my brand new B40W, so it's definitely an issue with the 1400 and not the images. My 1400 is almost 3 years old, so it's due for replacement anyway.

The yellow bloom appears on just one side of the print (I have high speed turned off which may account for this and it may occur on both sides with high speed turned on). As it's yellow you can barely see it on paper, but you can see if clearly when the item is heated/printed.

Can you photograph the effect on one of your mugs and post an image so I can see if it's the same issue?

On the issue of violet/purple greyscales - this is because the printer has to use a composite of the colour inks to print greyscales. It doesn't use the black ink. To print just using the black ink you need to set up your printer and software with the normal ICC options turned *off* and select the "greyscale" option in the printer driver. You should get a better greyscale because this option forces the printer to use the black ink only. If you use the profiles and/or glossy/matte paper options for this then you won't be using just the black ink and you'll get the purple colour cast. Experiment and see what you get.

[malcycee]

Hi jar and thanks for your comments. My r1400 is only 6 months old and, prior to trying my own grayscales it was fine as it is with colours and artworks that I've 'created' in psd! Not sure what you mean about one sided?
I can see the sense in what you say about the settings.my instructions say to allow psd to manage colour but, of course, doubtless they are expecting us to all create and print in colour so I have disabled the colour management. I'll give the grayscale option a go and get back to you! Who knows it may even solve the yellow bloom? That's weird mind as, like you say, when you print off the design, the yellow is hardly visible if at all on some prints! But when heated the bloom appears on the mug following the outline of the design? I really don't understand how, on a friends tee design, his design, the colour portion of the photo montage comes out great but, the grey/monochrome surround bleeds out this yellow bloom! Anyway, I'll give the grayscale setting a go. Thanks again.

[JSR]

By one side I mean that if I'm printing a square then the yellow bloom only occurs on one vertical edge - it also occurs within the print but only in the same direction. It's difficult to explain without pictures. On yours you say that it occurs all around the design. Have you tried turning off "high speed printing" in the printer driver to see if that improves it? You may end up with the yellow in just one direction as I have.

If you can print with just the black ink as I've mentioned, I suspect you won't get the yellow bloom - because the colour inks aren't being used. The only way to be sure is to try it.

I don't have Photoshop (which I think is what you mean by "psd") so I can't advise with any specifics when it comes to the software except to say that the advice you've been given for the ICC profiles is absolutely correct for photographic/colour prints. It's not necessarily the best thing when you're only printing blacks/greys, though.

Incidentally, just so that you know - I haven't got a solution to the yellow "bloom". I just figured that my printer was long in the tooth so I'm working on replacing it. If you find a solution, though, be sure to let us know.

[malcycee]

JSR
I'll chat today with the transfer press as I'm sure they'll click to what you're saying? I'll have a go this evening and let you know what the results are. It makes perfect sense to me!!..................I can claim to bordering on thick however. :oops:

[malcycee]

Cor lummee me guvnor :o
I just can't solve this.
If I create my own picture with colours in photoshop............even though the outline is technically grayscale by virtue of the fact that it's black.........I don't get the yellow bloom. Having said that, if it's simply a blocked black on white image.......yellowy fog!!
As soon as I take one of my pencil (toned) artworks and try putting it through the process I get this damned surrounding creamy yellow fog. It's barely discernable on the paper but, much more pronounced when heat applied to a mug or garment!! Also the grey tones keep coming out with a purplish hue to them!!!!! once more, on paper not really noticeable......but......apply heat and the image is unsaleable!!!
Sadly, the most I can do in the sawgrass/artanium system is dismiss the rgb colour management and select grayscale. The printer too, can't be forced to print only using black ink!!!
Anyone suffering this and having found a solution....are now happily producing mugs by the dozen?? :roll: :shock: :?

[malcycee]

Gillyd PM'd me and I've suddenly realised that I left the subject unresolved, many apologies.

After much discussion and tinkering this is what I and the erstwhile Julia at Transfer Press came up with.

I had to uninstall then re-install the sawgrass software, it seemed as though many of the features had in some way 'adjusted' themselves. Each time I now scan any pics up including my pencil drawings, I carry out the following checks in photoshop elements.
1. That the RGB colour profile is applied not sRGB or grayscale.
2. The colour management is set to artanium and the printer colour management is disabled.

I have since, been producing relatively trouble free items but.............and there is always a but............I have seen that particularly with my pencil work which is graphite, where I work on the paper there can be a faint 'smudging' where I brush the fine particles with my hand. I have a feeling that, at 600dpi, the scanner picks this up and the photoshop 'reads' it but, when the software tries to convert the very faint trace, with an absence of white inks, it picks the yellow creating the 'bloom' effect. I'm not sure about that so will have to tinker a bit more. I now, where possible, 'clean' the image surround aswell 'just in case'!!

Anyway, that's the update and I wish you all a very Merry Chrimbletide and Happy New Year.
Malc

[JSR]

when the software tries to convert the very faint trace, with an absence of white inks, it picks the yellow creating the 'bloom' effect. I'm not sure about that so will have to tinker a bit more.
I'm not sure I follow that logic. If a greyscale is too white to produce, it shouldn't arbitrarily decide to print yellow unless the profile is inaccurate. If the greyscale is too white to print then it should be left as white.

[malcycee]

JSR understood, as stated it was 'a feeling' and my ESP never was up to much LOL - :lol: